


Participant Observer

by Dira Sudis (dsudis)



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-28
Updated: 2011-09-28
Packaged: 2017-10-24 02:52:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/258098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsudis/pseuds/Dira%20Sudis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Sergeant Colbert catches Evan literally with his pants down on their first night in Iraq.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Participant Observer

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Iulia and Petra for listening, and Templemarker for beta!

Sergeant Colbert catches Evan literally with his pants down on their first night in Iraq. He'd been hoping to ease himself into the shitting-in-public part of life with Bravo Two by doing it under cover of darkness, but he's barely figured out how to keep his balance without shitting into his MOPP suit before he hears footsteps approaching out of the darkness. He freezes instinctively, and wonders if the way his ass clenches is a sign that he won't shit himself in combat. Colbert stops directly beside Evan--really close, next-urinal close--and the analogy is complete when Colbert, facing away from the Humvees like Evan, whips his dick out.

Evan never unfroze, so he's still carefully balanced in a not-shitting-on-his-own-clothes crouch, which puts Colbert's dick pretty exactly at his eye level. Evan looks straight ahead and keeps his gaze there until he hears a stream of piss hitting the dirt--at which point he figures, okay, sure, Colbert's at the next urinal. That's just how it is out here. Evan blows out a breath and debates whether he can possibly fake nonchalance well enough to take a shit with Colbert standing next to him--looming over him. Their feet are only separated by the box of baby wipes. Evan is still wondering about the diapers, and now seems like a logical time. He opens his mouth to ask.

Colbert says quietly, "What the LT said before goes all the time."

Evan says, hoping he doesn't sound as incredulous as he feels, "Excuse me?"

"What the LT said, when we unsurrendered the prisoners." Colbert's level voice doesn't change. "You should write things as you see them. I'm not telling you not to. You want to write about this conversation we're having now, you go ahead. That's up to you."

Evan considers getting his notebook out and decides against it. Whatever pissing contest Colbert thinks they're in, it seems like the wrong time to find out if the pen is mightier. "Okay."

Colbert is still pissing, and his voice is still level and expressionless. "When I said that, before, about not writing down what Ray said because you were encouraging him--I didn't mean the writing. I meant the encouraging."

"Ah," Evan says. It's starting to come together now. Evan watched Colbert physically lay Person down in a grave to sleep, maybe half an hour ago. When Person had finally stopped protesting, Colbert had walked a couple of yards away and then planted his feet, standing guard. He'd been there when Evan left to take a shit.

"Ray's going to say plenty of stupid things on his own," Colbert offers. "Write down whatever you want. I'm not saying you can't talk to him or ask him questions. I'm not telling you how to do your job."

And yet, Evan thinks, there is no actual subtext here. Colbert could not be marking his territory more obviously if he had actually dragged Person over here to piss on.

"What exactly are you telling me, then?" Evan asks, curious to see how he's going to phrase it, and just how much he'll give himself away. This is the most Colbert has exposed himself to Evan so far--he's already seen plenty of Marines showing plenty of skin and waving their literal and figurative dicks around, but none of them have approached him like this before now. Person is what the Iceman sticks his neck out for, and it's not even about Person's safety. Evan's not sure _what_ it's about, other than Colbert being protective of Person, but he's all ears.

Colbert finishes pissing, shakes, tucks himself in and fixes his MOPP suit without speaking. Evan still doesn't look over, or up.

"I'm telling you that if there is ever one other minute in this entire goddamn invasion when my RTO is being quiet, I'd consider it a favor if you would refrain from winding him up for your own entertainment. If we were in a standoff you wouldn't grab a gun and fire into the air to see what happens, right?" The rising inflection of the question is the most intonation Colbert's had in his voice this entire time, and it sounds almost plaintive. "Just--don't pull Ray's trigger for fun either."

Evan squints into the darkness. "As a favor to you."

Colbert sighs and says, "Well, Ray's not going to ask you to. Just let him be quiet if he can, okay?"

Evan recognizes, suddenly, not just the weariness in Colbert's voice but the fact of what Colbert is doing here. He's letting Evan see how much this matters to him. Not just Ray in general--everyone in Bravo Two could have seen Colbert putting Ray to bed if they wanted to, although no one actually appeared to care or find it remarkable. It matters to Colbert how Evan himself treats Ray, that he doesn't--what did Colbert just say? Wind Ray up for his own entertainment? It matters enough to him that he'll let Evan see it mattering.

"Can't shut up when he's on Ripped Fuel, huh?" Evan says cautiously, to show Colbert he gets it.

"Can't shut up," Colbert agrees.

"I'll... try not to speak unless spoken to, when he's like that," Evan offers. It's weak. It's not a promise, and Colbert has no particular reason to trust him even if he did make one.

Colbert nods like it's what he wanted, though, and raps his knuckles on Evan's helmet before he walks away. Evan closes his eyes, makes a bet with himself about whether Colbert will have gone back to standing guard when he gets back. It's not even a sucker bet. If he's learned one thing so far, it's that he's nowhere near figuring out how these guys tick.

He'll write it down later, he thinks. And he'll write down every time he sees Colbert successfully forcing Ray to shut up. But maybe next time he'll just sit back and see how long it lasts.

And in the meantime, he's out here in the dark for a reason, and he really needs to get it over with before anyone else comes looking for him.


End file.
